Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi: “Israel is very well suited to the conference and incentive market – it is a modern, vibrant country with Jerusalem at its center and its advantages include a good year-round climate for events, its relatively small size that allows for easy, fast access from everywhere and its varied geography.”

The Ministry of Tourism promotes international conventions in Israel and is working to establish Israel as a major player in the incentive market. To this end, the ministry has recently launched a dedicated website promoting Israel as a unique destination for international conferences and incentive travel, under the slogan “Israel. One place. Endless Possibilities”.

The site, which is available in English and Russian, is aimed at the decision-makers and tourism specialists working in the conference and incentive market, in particular in Russia, UK, Germany, Italy and Holland. The website launch is being supported by a NIS 200,000 campaign in print and digital media.

In order to promote convention and incentive tourism, the ministry participates in trade fairs, organizes seminars and hosts orientation visits in Israel for tourism specialists and decision-makers in which they are introduced to the many options available for pre- and post-conference touring and activities for participants and their partners.

Research shows that employees who receive an experiential prize from their employees remember it better and for longer than a financial reward. Based on experience and research, the experiential incentive makes the recipient feel more loyal to his/her workplace and better appreciate his/her employer who not only invested money but also time and effort in arranging the experience. Employees who receive a special incentive return with greater motivation to the workplace and positively influence their colleagues who also want to share the experience.

Included within the website are videos, images, and detailed, user-friendly information that show how Israel can accommodate conferences from 50 – 10,000 participants in hotels and universities with state-of-the-art convention facilities, and a wide and varied range of incentive options underlying the message of one country with endless possibilities. These are divided into four main categories:body and soul: holistic spa treatments, meditation, kabala etcsports: every type of water, land and air sports at different challenge levels through to extreme, including swimming with the dolphins in the Red Sea, bird-watching, cycling, jeep rides and morefood and wines: boutique wineries, olive oil and cheese farms, open-air food markets and moreleisure and history: cultural and entertainment options, archeological sites, lavish nighttime productions in the desert, museums and more

The site also includes contact details of relevant Israeli service providers who specialize in conference and incentive travel, as well as the Israel Government Tourist Offices around the world.